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Malaysia All Set to Soothe Anger Over Ambalat
June 09, 2009

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Malaysia sent its Armed Forces chief to Indonesia on Tuesday to relieve tensions over disputed waters, saying the two countries must temporarily stop maritime patrols in the area to reduce the risk of a confrontation.

The navies of both countries have faced off several times in recent weeks, with Jakarta saying that on May 25, it nearly opened fire a Malaysian patrol vessel that it said had strayed into territorial waters that it claims.

“Our Armed Forces chief will be going to Indonesia this evening … and tomorrow there may be a reaction or counter proposal from the Indonesians,” said Malaysian Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid.

He said military chief Gen. Abdul Aziz Zainal would suggest to his Indonesian counterpart that both countries temporarily stop maritime patrols at the Ambalat oil concession block, situated in waters off the island of Borneo.

The dispute over the territory and access to undersea oil and natural gas originated from a map Malaysia published in 1979 that placed the area in its territory and which Indonesia protested.

Both countries have since handed out contracts to major foreign firms in the area

Indonesia awarded Italy’s major oil group ENI a production sharing contract in 1999, while in 2005, Malaysia struck an exploration deal with Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Malaysian state firm Petronas.

Indonesia’s government said it had issued 36 protest notes to Kuala Lumpur over what it sees as incursions by Malaysian forces over several years.

Zahid said a heightened political climate ahead of Indonesia’s presidential election next month could be one reason why the longstanding dispute has drawn such anger in the country.

“This would not have been as heated if not for parties which have certain interests … the political climate now is reflective of the [Indonesian] presidential election,” Zahid said.

Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Teuku Faizasyah, said military force was not the solution.

“The negotiation process is ongoing, so we hope Malaysia does not cloud the situation on the field. Our stance on Ambalat is that Ambalat block is within our sovereign rights. The Ambalat block is 80 miles [inside] our continental shelf.” 

Reuters